Various manual weapons are used in the martial arts for self defense. Weapons such as knives, daggers, swords, rods, darts and the like have been used for many centuries for self defense. Of these, a knife or a dagger is probably the most suitable weapon for use in close quarters. The knife and dagger may be used both for stabbing and for slashing. Knifes and daggers have the disadvantage that they must be grasped tightly during an encounter. If the user's grip should loosen, the knife may slip or may be dropped. Further, knifes and daggers have only a single point. If the point misses its target, the opponent may not be stopped and the user is at risk of being injured by a counter attack from the opponent.